Immigration

UK ILR Continuous Residence Calculator

Enter the date you started continuous residence in the UK and each absence abroad. We'll count total days outside the UK, check the 180-day rolling 12-month cap, and flag risks for the 5-year and 10-year ILR routes per the Home Office continuous residence guidance.

ILR route

Date residence began

Target ILR eligibility date

Default = start + 5 years (or + 10 years). Adjust if you're applying exactly on the qualifying date.

Absences from the UK

The 180-day rule

For most 5-year routes, you cannot be outside the UK for more than 180 days in any rolling 12-month period. The clock is rolling — it isn't tied to calendar years or visa-anniversary dates.

The Home Office also looks at total absences across the whole qualifying period: roughly 900 days for a 5-year route, and 540 days for the 10-year route.

Lawful absences

Absences for work (posted abroad by a UK employer), compassionate reasons, or other "consistent with residence" purposes may still count toward continuous residence, but they do still count toward the 180-day numerical cap.

A single absence of more than 6 months (or 18 months for 10-year route) typically breaks continuous residence entirely, regardless of reason.

5-year vs 10-year route

Rule	5-year	10-year
Single absence cap	6 months	18 months
Rolling 12-mo cap	180 days	180 days
Total absences	~900	540

Deep dive

Read the ILR continuous-residence guide

11-minute guide with worked examples, lawful-absence case studies, and how to document trips.

Read guide